Out of Joint
by Lost In A Dark Wood
Summary: The war is over, and a new Fire Lord sits on the throne of the Fire Nation. After a hundred years, there are a lot of scars to heal no one said it would be easy. Will eventually be Zutara, with unrequited Kataang and several other pairings.
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Mouse and Cat  
**Pairings**: None yet. Zutara and Zuko/Toph, if you squint.  
**Genre**: General, Zuko-angst, but that's redundant really.  
**Warnings**: Part of an ongoing series. AU after _Zuko Alone._

**Disclaimer: **If I owned it, this story would be canon… And yet, I'm here posting on Why do _you_ think that is?

**VERY IMPORTANT Author's Notes: **I've been writing this story for a REALLY long time. Therefore, it departs from continuity from the point of ZUKO ALONE. This started with a set of 6 half drabbles, for a total of 600 words entitled _Out of Joint_. I liked the story a lot, but it started in the middle, and was very confusing, so I went back and started at the beginning: _here. _However, I haven't been writing them in chronological order, and therefore have been unable to post until now, when I got a bunch of consecutive ones ready.

**So here's the deal**, this is an anthology of events, all set on the same time line, starting immediately after the events of ZUKO ALONE. For the most part, each chapter will depict one event in the story from SIX points of view, each 50 words long. No names are used.

**And Now, Our Feature Presentation:**

There is something familiar about the smelly Earth Kingdom peasant in the corner. She catches an eyeful of burnt flesh and gold and for an instant their eyes lock. He recognizes her, twitching as if though to fight and she thinks to run; he merely gets up and walks away.

- - -

He no longer minds the smell or the sensation of his greasy hair. The blisters on his hands have become calluses. He has forgotten the feel of silk. Firebending has become a forgotten dream. He has accepted life without honor, but he will not let _her_ see _him_ like _this_.

- - -

When his sister tells them that night that she saw the Prince of the Fire Nation in the village, he gets up and starts packing. When she tells them that the Prince merely walked away he drops everything in confusion. When she describes the Prince, he cannot control his laughter.

- - -

When she is asked what she is thinking about, she answers something silly. It would not do to tell her friend that she is thinking about the scarred prince. She has never met the Fire Prince, but she is a twelve year old girl and finds the dark prince fascinating.

- - -

He doesn't quite understand what he is doing outside of the dirty building, no: shack, no: shed. Surely this isn't where his vehement pursuer is? Suddenly, he realizes: it's a trap. Nonetheless he opens the door, and finds an emaciated boy curled on the ground, one hand on a sword.

- - -

No one knows where he came from or where he is going, but he is kind to children, polite to women, and tells the best stories. He is about to start the Tale of the Banished Prince when a spirit blows in his ear and he feels the winds change.

**Author's Notes:** Confused? I wouldn't be surprised. However, I'll post a summary of each chapter in the next chapter's A/N to make sure we're all on the same page. In the meantime, the first person to review and correctly identify which character's POV's are being used in the correct order gets a prize.

I'm thinking along the lines of a 1000 word one-shot on the subject matter of your choice (it can even be in another fandom, provided I'm familiar with it). Some restrictions may apply.

So hurry up and review, PRETTY PLEASE.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title**: The Best Teacher**  
Pairings**: Zutara!  
**Genre**: Angst, subtle romance.  
**Warnings**: Bird's eye view (written after Mouse and Cat)

**Previously on _Out of Joint_:** Having parted ways with his Uncle, Zuko is down on his luck. Katara accidentally meets the emaciated prince in a tavern and is confused when he runs away instead of fighting. Zuko is tired and ashamed, and he doesn't want Katara to see him like this. Meanwhile, Sokka is very concerned/confused/amused by Katara's description of Zuko. Toph ponders the Prince she's never met, and Aang goes off to find Zuko and extend his offer of frienship. Far away, Iroh feels the winds change.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned it, this story would be canon… And yet, I'm here posting on Why do _you_ think that is?

**And Now, Our Feature Presentation:**

The messenger hawk has a little trouble finding him; it's been years since any royal hawk delivered anything to the boy and the boy has grown, but when the hawk finally does find him he is alone and the bird of prey lands gracefully on his shoulder, startling the boy.

---

Curious, the boy takes the message from the bird against his better instincts. A single command is gently nudged in between praises and compliments. The Prince has in his hands that which he has sought since his birth and all that it would cost is his honor, and his friends.

---

The Dragon of the West is attacking his brother's capital from the east, but there is still time enough for tea. He calls over to his nephew to join his friends, but the boy is concentrating on a dagger won at Ba Sing Se and will not meet his eyes.

---

A thousand lifetimes have left the Avatar a little wiser, but it doesn't take a genius to realize that something is wrong with his friend. He thinks that maybe it is because the war is coming to an end and tries to comfort him; the prince merely shoves him away.

---

Contrary to popular belief, he does not hate the boy. The brat cost him his wife, but he also reminds him of her; that was really why he sent him away. Now the boy can give him his life, and he welcomes him with open arms. He knows it's pointless.

---

Out of the corner of her eye she sees something burning. He's watching as the fire slowly consumes a bit of parchment. She walks over to him and gently places a hand on his shoulder. He leans his head against her arm and she feels the wetness of his tears.

**Author's Note:** I can finally update again! Rejoice! (Or don't, you know...) As with the last piece, first person to correctly ID all the POVs is entitled to a 1000-word one-shot, to be claimed by PM. In other, all reviews are appreciated. Like, a lot man... Wow, valley girl moment, hmmm, it must be late. OK, going to bed then. Don't forget to review if you've bothered to read.


	3. Long Live the King

**Previously, on **Having decided that Zuko has the Avatar's trust, Ozai sent a messenger hawk to inform him that if he killed the Avatar he could come back home and be praised. Zuko was tempted, but in the end he realized that he couldn't betray Aang, and burned Ozai's letter, which maked him sad. Oh, and don't forget the half a dash of Zutara.

**Title: **Long Live the King

**Genre**: Action, and wait, three guesses as to what the other genre is… (First two don't count).

**Warning**: Early cremation. (Written after The Best Teacher)

Everything around him is crumbling and he realizes that indeed, he will be remembered as the Fire Lord who saw the end of the Hundred Year War. Fire consumes him and all he can think of is his son's burning face. He wonders if he will see his wife soon.

---

Years ago he turned away as he watched his brother burn away his own son's face. Now the tables are turned and his brother is blasted into dark oblivion. Part of him knows he should feel a sick pleasure at the Avatar's triumph, but instead he turns away once more.

---

Finally, she thinks, the war is over. She almost vomits looking at what used to be the Fire Lord but runs instead to the exhausted body of the Avatar. She takes the limp form of the thirteen year old into her arms and breathes when she feels his chest rise.

---

It is not in his nature to listen to the old man when he commanded him to be idle and he arrives to see the Avatar destroy his father. His father is dead, his mother missing, his uncle a traitor. He runs as fast as he can to his sister.

---

Her father is returned to the dust from which he rose but no tears come to her eyes. She didn't cry when her mother left; she doesn't cry now. The boy in front of her must pay however, and she knows exactly what to do. He hasn't got a chance.

---

The Prince can barely stand; horrible burns cover his body. The Princess stands poised for the killing blow. He is exhausted, but the Prince is his friend and needs him. The boy ignores the blood only he can see on his hands and jumps into battle.

---

**Author's notes:**

So last chapter got a grand total of one review. Gosh, I feel loved (not.)

Thanks so much Justicar.

Those who didn't review, I equate no reviews with no interest. If you enjoy this, please leave me a review. I'm starved for creativity enough as it is, and without reviews, I'm just running on empty.

Also, I'm not getting any PMs or alerts from I don't know if that's the case for you too, but it makes me sad.


	4. Magnificent Prisons

**Title**: Magnificent Prisons  
**Pairings**: One sided Mai/Zuko  
**Genre**: Look at the title, and tell me you can't figure this one out for yourself  
**Warnings**: None, really. Standard disclaimers apply and weirdness abounds. Started before The Rules of Engagement but finished after Bitter Moon.

**Previously on Out of Joint: **As he finally fell to the Avatar, Fire Lord Ozai contemplated the end of the war, his son, and of course, his beloved wife, and all Iroh could do was look away from what he knew needed to be done. Aang falls after having defeated the Fire Lord, and Katara can only breathe again when she realized that Aang is still alive, but Zuko, overwrought with guilt and pain at his father's loss runs to find his sister. Never one to disappoint, Azula doesn't spare a tear for her fallen father, and gladly takes Zuko's challenge, and seems to have the upper hand in the battle until a weary Avatar joins in his friend's defense.

**And now on to our feature presentation:**

They are pretty enough to pass for finely crafted bracelets worthy of the Fire Lord's sister. They are the prettiest shackles the world has ever known, but they are shackles nonetheless and keep her from firebending. She envies her father and wishes the Avatar hadn't interrupted.

- - -

To say that he hates his sister would be an incredible understatement. For him not to hate her would be lunacy: she tortured him as a child, continued the habit into womanhood, and laughed at his banishment, but he hates her most of all for having failed to stop _this_.

- - -

She is torn between her loyalty to her friend, and her love for her friend's brother. The world she had been raised in is dead now, and she finds it harder than ever to pretend that she doesn't care, especially when the Fire Lord glances her way and doesn't notice.

- - -

Blue silk brushes against her skin because she cannot stand to wear red. She has traveled the world over, seen the North Pole and Ba Sing Se, and must admit that nothing compares to the elegant grandeur of the Fire Lord's palace. Still, she misses her Southern igloos and furs.

- - -

Finally, he is returned to the life to which he was born. He would like to think he would have ended the War if his son hadn't died and his brother hadn't been made Fire Lord. He remembers a letter he wrote at Ba Sing Se however, and knows otherwise.

- - -

No one has noticed that he has bent neither air nor earth nor fire since the War ended. He has bent water once, to heal a dying girl. The world hails him as a hero, but not even the world's greatest Waterbender can wash his hands.

**Author's Notes**: I'm phenomenally pleased with the first two here. The third one is weird; I like the fourth, but am not all that excited about the last two. Anyway, unlike Long Live the King, this doesn't really have a plot, it's more a snapshot of life in the Fire Nation after the War.

I hope you enjoyed this. If you did, please let me know in a _review. _If there's anything I could make better, let me know about that too.

I'll upload the next chapter as soon as I have the one after that finished. Get ready for some fluff.


	5. Spring

**Title**: Spring  
**Pairings**: ZUTARA!  
**Genre**: Romance. Fluff. Not angst. It's a miracle.  
**Warnings**: I'm a loser and I break my own constraint. Therefore mes amis, a couple of POVs are repeated.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Avatar, do you really think I'd be on this website?

**Previously: **The war is over, but that life in the Fire Nation has not returned to normalcy. Azula, prevented from firebending by specially crafted bracelets has become the honored prisoner of her brother, Fire Lord Zuko who resents her for all the hell she has made him suffer, but also for failing to prevent the death of their father and the fall of the Fire Nation. For her part, Mai struggles to adapt in a Fire Nation that is nothing like the world for which she was raised, and this is made all the harder, Katara finds herself a stranger in a strange land and wishes she could exchange the rich silks of the Fire Nation for more familiar furs, Iroh contemplates the paths that history could have taken, and no one notices that Aang is suffering by himself. But, spring is coming and with spring comes change...

**And now on to our feature presentation: **

The turtle-duck pond is her favorite part of the Fire Lord's palace; spring her favorite season in the Fire Nation. It's spring now, and soothing rain is falling. The Fire Lord has asked to meet her by the pond, and she wonders why with anticipation as she feeds the turtle-ducks.

- - -

His hands are callused from long years of hardship and a year of carving amber. He knows that necklaces are an important tradition in the Water Tribes and has spared no effort in the creation of the one he holds in his sweaty hands; he hopes she will accept it.

- - -

The Fire Lord makes for a funny sight, soaked to the bone and blushing. She is about to laugh at him when he pulls out a red necklace of silk and carved amber. She could tell him that the engagement necklace is a northern tradition, instead she kisses him passionately.

- - -

He has never liked rain more than now. He holds her, as if though she might melt and puts the necklace on her neck. He leans in for another kiss, and he feels the rain stop. He's almost sorry, but there is a rainbow in the sky. He smiles happily.

- - -

His sister is happy. She's dancing in the rain and singing a song she hasn't sung since their mother died. He hasn't seen her this happy since before the war ended and he thinks it must be that it's finally the wet season. He doesn't notice her new red necklace.

- - -

When he sees the piece of carved amber around the pretty Waterbender's neck his suspicions are confirmed and his nephew's unusually good mood explained. The union should ease tensions amongst the nations and apprehensions about the Fire Lord's sincerity, but their love will find great obstacles. He prays for them.

**Author's Notes:** So, Justicar, darling reviewer that he is, pointed out that this isn't the best method for telling an epic tale. And, my dears, I'm afraid I have to concur. Therefore I've cut out a side plot involving Sokka and Azula. The story is almost finished, with just a few chapters left.

Now, if you've enjoyed this, please let me know so in a **REVIEW!**


	6. Primogeniture

**Title**: Primogeniture  
**Genre: **General  
**Rating: **T for Azula

**Disclaimer: **Not mine... sadly.

**Previously:** Zuko and Katara sitting in a tree... Time has passed since.

**And now on to our feature presentation:  
**

Pride and love swell in his heart as he looks into the smiling prince's golden eyes, and as he holds the child close to him he swears on all his ancestors that this child will know no hardship. He vows to be a better father.

- - -

Golden eyes of fire, how he had hoped for blue eyes like water, but as the mighty warrior holds the infant prince, he finds that this just means he'll have to spend extra time to make sure the next Fire Lord isn't such a sourpuss.

- - -

I'm a grandfather! He thinks to himself as he holds the child. The joy in his heart almost overwhelms the dark thought, that he is not a grandfather, and he will never be one. His nephew says the child is to be named for him.

- - -

Golden eyes, he thinks bitterly. Now he can never forget who the child's father is. But, then again, that is a detail he would never forget with the crown which is already being made. Maybe instead he can forget who his mother is and dream.

- - -

No one bothers to show her the child. With good reason, she admits, but curiosity draws her near the cradle when the nurse is asleep. Golden eyes, well at least they got that right. Pity she can't drown the brat; it'd be a fitting end, but too traceable to her.

- - -

Her baby, her baby, her baby! She doesn't care if it's a boy or a girl, if he is a prince or a pauper, if his eyes are golden or blue. All that matters to her is that this child is _her_ baby! And _his_!

**Author's Notes:** Well, you get a little of everything in this chapter. **Reviews** are highly appreciated. _Very_ highly appreciated.


	7. Dance

**Title**: Dance  
**Genre: **Romance  
**Rating: **K

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. At least, nothing you see here. Enjoy.

**Previously:** The Fire Nation has a new heir, Zuko's happy, Katara's happy, for once, Sokka's happy. Iroh's always happy. Aang? He's aangsty… and Azula, well, she's Azula, so she's nasty. And now, a year has passed.

**Author's Notes:** First things first, Sokka/Azula sidestory is back in. This chapter gets dedicated to _LoveroftheFlame_, who inspired me to replace "Random Fire Nation Soldier" with Haru. Because, as we all know, Haru is better. Shoutout also goes to _Lily Dragon_ for reminding me this story even existed. And of course, a thanks to everyone who's taken the time to review this story. Lots of love!

**And now on to our feature presentation: **

The Earthbender can't help feeling out of place at the Fire Princeling's first birthday. Imagine, him, a peasant, an Earthbender, once a prisoner of the Fire Nation, now an honored guest. Suddenly he catches a glint of golden eyes. How beautiful they are—how strange. He asks her to dance.

- - -

So much music, none of it for her. Her sister-in-law's friend asks her to dance. The poor boy isn't very bright, but he's pretty enough, for an Earth Kingdom peasant, and since she can't kill him, and no one else has been fool enough to ask her, she says yes.

- - -

The Fire Lord is too pleased to notice his sister dancing. All he can see is his dance partner's gleaming blue eyes. How beautiful she is, and she is his, only his. For the first time in all his life, he feels that he must be the luckiest man alive.

- - -

Has it really been a year? How big her son has gotten, and her husband so attentive. Who would have thought in a million years that a peasant could have all this? Suddenly, as the music slows she leans her head against his shoulder and tells him the good news.

- - -

This is the first time he's danced with her, unless you count the time in Ba Sing Se, but really, who could when she was trying to kill him then? He has never danced with the Moon or the Warrior, but somehow, it doesn't hurt as much as it might.

- - -

Finally after all these years, a dance with the cute warrior boy from the Water Tribes. Well, unless you count that one time in Ba Sing Se, but who needs to now? Let her father stew over the fact that he is no noble; her aura has never been pinker.

**Author's Notes: **Wow! I managed to write a chapter where there wasn't a singly non-happy character. Well, depends on how you count Azula, but she's dancing with Haru, how unhappy can she possibly be? Alright, now for the begging: if this chapter has made you happy, and if you want me to be happy, please don't forget to **review**.

Or, even if you hated it and think I should crawl in a ditch and go die, you should still review.


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